Free Character Writing Prompts #68: Animal Lovers

These character writing prompts are cute, furry and lovable. There are many different breeds of animal lovers (see what I did there?). There are activists who will stop at nothing to end animal cruelty throughout the world. There are people who love their pets so much that they dress them in Halloween costumes and put them in their Christmas cards. There are also general lovers of animals who can't help but stop in pet stores to look at the puppies, kittens and fish. Animal lovers are included in this book because there are some people that make animals such a large part of their lives that it has come to define them. If you plan to focus in any way, shape or form on animals in your upcoming story, it may behoove you to include an animal lover in the mix.

Free Character Writing Prompts #68: Animal Lovers

1. It's well known that there are few relationships as close as the one that can occur between a man and his dog. With that in mind, this owner and his lovable pooch were completely inseparable. From the moment he first saw his companion as a puppy he was completely smitten. The two of them would go on runs together, would eat dinner together and would even go pick up girls together. While he'd gotten a bed for his furry friend, on most nights the two of them would sleep together, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend at the time. Will the two of them be as close when the owner settles down and has a few children?

2. From a young age, he had a strange fascination with the color green and every animal with such coloration. He begged his parents for turtles, lizards and frogs and they tested out his responsibility one pet at a time. For a child they thought might have ADD, he was more attentive with his pets than any of his classes by far. He watered, cleaned and fed them every day and he quickly earned as many pets as he wanted since it seemed to keep him calm and occupied. As he grew up, he purchased more exotic and expensive amphibians and reptiles and he loved showing them off to family and friends. He even occasionally had dreams that he was a reptile himself. What caused him to fall so deeply in love with these cold-blooded creatures?

3. She seemed like your traditional old lady with a bunch of cats, with one little wrinkle. These were no domesticated felines: they were jungle cats. She was the owner of a large wildlife preserve in the middle of the country that catered to tigers, lions, leopards and other wild cats you might find in a zoo. She loved these animals and they loved her right back. When she told her family of her plans to retire to this preserve, they thought she was crazy, but upon seeing her interact with this potentially vicious animals, their worries quickly dissipated. How did she come to know she wanted to spend her twilight years with these striped and spotted cats?

4. Her friends thought of her as the female Ace Ventura, not because she solved crimes, but because when you walked into her apartment, you were greeted by a menagerie of different species. She had birds flying freely around the multiple rooms and little pug dogs that would amble on up to her. There were ferrets rummaging around in their play area and even a monkey who loved to climb up on his shoulder. The animals were all very well trained and behaved, which isn't surprising, considering how much time she spends with them. She was fortunate that her landlord was an animal lover as well, because it's improbable that she would be allowed to keep so many animals otherwise. She knew that having so many critters prevented her from being social sometimes, but she figured it was worth it, considering that animals are way more interesting than people anyway. What was the order in which she got the animals and how well did they interact with one another?

5. Even though he was decidedly human, he never quite felt like a human. For instance, when he was young, he seemed to get along much better with pets than his friends. He loved going around the neighborhood with his dogs and cats in a pack, even though the other kids made fun of him. As he grew older, he loved going to dog parks with his pets because he was able to interact with a ton of new animals. He only paid precursory attention to the owners of those animals because he just didn't connect with them as much. Trips to pet stores or doggy day care centers might take hours for him because he wanted to make sure he could say hello to everyone. What are some of his qualities that keep him more connected with animals than humans?

6. He tried everything in his power to get past his allergies to most animals. Doctors told him that it was the dander of these pets and he tried getting a hypoallergenic dog. After his hay fever kicked up a notch after about a week, he and his wife had to give it away. He loved being around animals so much but no matter what the animal, he seemed to get violently ill as a result of it. He tried to take special vitamins and to use herbal treatments that said they might help. None of it did anything to alleviate his symptoms. He was an animal lover who couldn't get within 10 feet of an animal. What are some of the ways in which he expresses his care for animals without being able to be around them?

7. She figured, why let dogs have all the fun? This was her reasoning behind starting a trained cat show that she would use for multiple purposes. The first purpose was to get cat owners to see just how intelligent and awesome cats were. The second purpose was to pair with a local cat adoption agency to make sure that audience members knew it was more important to adopt abandoned kittens than it was to buy kittens from a breeder. She absolutely loved teaching her cats such tricks as ringing a bell, jumping through a hoop and even dancing on cue. Her show was the talk of the town and the weekly program was frequently sold out and well reviewed. What is her routine like for training these intelligent felines?

8. She took a lot of things for granted when she was younger and her parents were the richest people in town. She had her own room, her own credit card and she even had a stable with three horses. After a few financial issues, her parents had to downsize and sell the house, cut the card and get rid of the horses. She had bit something of a brat when she was younger but she soon grew humble and became grateful for what she once had, especially the horses. She never realized how much she enjoyed riding her darlings each and every morning. She decided that to relive that feeling again she would become a horse trainer so that she could help kids realize how blessed they are to be able to spend every day with such beautiful creatures. What are some other things she misses about her previously privileged existence?

9. He was the kind of kid who was absolutely terrified of everything that moved. The first time he and his family went to the zoo, he had to be carried out of there as his scream cries were terrifying the animals and the other children. When he got a puppy as a present on Christmas, he locked himself in his room and didn't come out for nearly half a day, until they promised to take the puppy back. And then one day, during a large family outing, his aunt spotted a large cockroach that had wandered into the house. While she was freaking out, this young, fearful kid, picked up the roach and started playing with it. From then on, the only gifts he wanted were in the form of creepy, crawly bugs. What was it that made him so much less fearful when it came to insects?

10. She loved animals so much that it was hazardous to their health. Her parents had noticed how excited she got when she went past the pet store so they went in. They left with a couple of fish. Three days later the fish were dead because she hugged them to death. Her parents did their best trying to teach her how much love an animal could handle but whatever animals she came into contact with often ended up injured due to her desire to be openly affectionate with them. They were afraid to buy something bigger like a cat or a dog, because they didn't want to have to explain the accidental death to their neighbors. Will she ever be able to reign in her adoration for animals?

Did you enjoy these character writing prompts? Keep an eye out for the book 1,000 Character Writing Prompts in February 2012.

Bryan Cohen is the author of more than 30 books, many of which focus on creative writing and blasting through that pesky writer's block. His books have sold more than 20,000 copies. You can find him on Google+ and Facebook.

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